Contents

Season 1 (1969–1970)

Michael Brady, an architect and widower with three sons (Greg, Peter and Bobby) marries Carol Ann Martin, a mother with three daughters (Marcia, Jan and Cindy). Mike and Carol have a chaotic backyard wedding, in which the boys' dog, Tiger, chases the girls' cat, Fluffy. Mike and Carol admonish their children, yelling at them to go catch their pets. The newlywed couple goes on a honeymoon later that day, while the children sit at home thinking that their parents hate them. While on their honeymoon, Mike and Carol realize that they were too hard on their children, and they decide to bring them along on the honeymoon. They also bring along Alice (the housekeeper), Tiger and Fluffy.

Notes: This was the pilot episode for The Brady Bunch. This is the only episode where Christopher Knight is credited as "Chris Knight". It is Fluffy's only appearance in the series. Mike, Alice and the Brady boys live in a different house to that seen in the rest of the series. Also, this is the first out of two episodes not to have an epilogue/closing joke (the other being season 4's "Greg Gets Grounded").

The kids worry when a published letter to the "Dear Libby" advice column from "Harried and Hopeless" mirrors the Bradys' new living situation. Thinking one of their parents wrote the letter the kids stay on their best behavior to ensure a harmonious domestic situation. Elizabeth "Dear Libby" Carter (Jo De Winter) pays a visit to the Brady home explaining she received seven similar letters from the same address: they are from "Kitty Karry-All" (Cindy), "Feeling Awful" (Bobby), "Desperately Worried" (Marcia), "Down in the Mouth" (Peter), "Real Frantic" (Jan), "Guilt Complex" (Greg), and, "Innocent Bystander" (Alice). Libby explains that the "Harried and Hopeless" letter originated from someone else, 2,000 miles away. Mike admits he also wrote a letter to "Dear Libby", but never sent it. Carol admits she did the same.

Cindy is starring in the school play The Frog Prince as the fairy princess. She is very excited at the thought of her entire family watching her in the play, but later she is heartbroken when she discovers that she can only bring one parent, and she has much difficulty picking between Mike and Carol.

Alice discovers that the children are going to Carol with their problems instead of her. Thinking the family does not need her anymore, Alice invents a story about a "sick aunt in Seattle". Marcia and Jan overhear a phone conversation between Alice and her friend and discover the ruse. They tell their parents and the family devises a plan to get Alice to stay and are successful.

5

5

"Katchoo"

John Rich

William Cowley

October 24, 1969

004

Jan's allergies are acting up, so Carol keeps her home from school. Alice and Carol are worried, and Alice fears it might be Mike or one of the boys. When it seems that Jan is allergic to Tiger, the family fear they might have to lose their pet dog, until it is learned that Jan is only allergic to his new flea powder.

6

6

"A Clubhouse Is Not a Home"

John Rich

Skip Webster

October 31, 1969

001

Interpersonal relations among the kids reach a low after the boys refuse the girls entry to their clubhouse. Mike tries to reason with Carol that men sometimes need a place of their own. In the name of gender equality, Carol and the girls attempt to build their own clubhouse. They do a shoddy construction job and Cindy is nearly injured. Mike and the boys rebuild the clubhouse but the boys' clubhouse suddenly collapses. Bobby had pulled out the nails from the boys' clubhouse to finish the girls' clubhouse.

After Cindy and Bobby get mad at each other, Cindy loses her doll. She accuses Bobby of "doll-napping", while Bobby promises that he did not take it, this is not enough for Cindy. It causes a rift between boys (who believe Bobby is innocent) and girls (who believe Bobby is guilty). A mock trial is held for Bobby, during which Jan suddenly votes Bobby as innocent (against Marcia's expectations) and Peter votes Bobby as guilty (against Greg's expectations), which also causes a rift between Jan and Marcia and between Greg and Peter. Next, Bobby's kazoo goes missing, and he retaliates by blaming Cindy for stealing it. Bobby realizes that Cindy is very sad, and he spends all of his money on a new doll for her, but she will not accept it. After it goes missing too, the clues then lead to the real culprit: Tiger.

Mike and the boys have gone camping once a year for several years and Carol and Mike insist on a camping trip for all the family. The girls do not want to participate, and the boys do not want them along either. The family trip starts out a failure, but things then improve.

A huge phone bill prompts Mike to have a pay telephone installed to teach the kids a lesson in financial responsibility. His plan nearly backfires when he is forced to use the payphone to close a deal.

Note: This is the first appearance of Allan Melvin as the recurring role of Sam Franklin.

After Bobby watches a television adaptation of "Cinderella," older stepsisters Marcia and Jan tease him, then Carol asks for his help in sweeping the chimney. Bobby reasons that what he just saw on TV was correct: All stepmothers and stepsisters are evil. So, feeling unloved and unwanted, he decides to run away.

Marcia and Greg compete for class president. Partisanship overtakes the household, prompting Mike to step in and lecture the kids about unity. It's a talk Greg takes very seriously, particularly when his campaign manager Rusty (Stephen Liss) suggests stirring up rumors about Marcia. Greg rejects Rusty's suggestion and fires him. Marcia overhears this and realizes Greg has integrity and a sense of fair play, and decides to concede to Greg. Also, by the end, Cindy wins the position of crossing guard for a week, upsetting Bobby.

12

12

"The Voice of Christmas"

Oscar Rudolph

John Fenton Murray

December 19, 1969

015

In the show's only Christmas episode, Carol comes down with laryngitis and may not be able to sing at the holiday service. Cindy asks a department store Santa Claus (Hal Smith) for a miracle. The older children are also depressed by Carol's illness, prompting Alice to remind them of the true meaning of the holiday.

All six children have the measles. Carol calls the girls' usual doctor, a woman (Marion Ross), while Mike has called the boys' doctor: a man (Herbert Anderson). The girls prefer their usual doctor, and the boys prefer their doctor. They come to the conclusion that they can use both doctors, and it turns out that both doctors have decided to combine their practices.

14

14

"Father of the Year"

George Cahan

Skip Webster

January 2, 1970

007

Marcia nominates Mike as "Father of the Year" in a newspaper contest, but her actions to keep this secret results in several misunderstandings. She is first asked to do a few extra chores for being caught in Mike's den (past bedtime) where she is writing her letter for the contest. After not doing them to continue writing the secret entry, she is grounded for a week. Then when she sees the deadline for entry for the contest was the next day, she sneaks out to mail the letter. When she is caught outside well past her bedtime she is grounded from going with the family on a ski trip which was being planned in the subplot. Things are resolved when Mike is presented with the "Father of the Year" plaque and informed of how he won.

The girls and boys fight over 94 books of trading stamps; the boys want to redeem them for a rowboat while the girls want a sewing machine. The stamps must be used quickly as the trading stamp company is going out of business, and attempts to reach a compromise fail. Carol and Mike allow a deciding competition to be held: the building of a house of cards, with the winner to decide. The girls win, but their sense of compromise wins out and they buy a portable color television set.

Carol reads Mike's horoscope, which tells of a strange woman entering his life. Mike is besieged by fussy client Beebe Gallini (Abbe Lane) who monopolizes his time disrupting family activities. Beebe visits the Brady home and dictates impossible design specifications, but Mike ultimately loses the deal after the children's interruptions anger Beebe. Mike realizes losing the deal has saved his firm from a nervous breakdown.

Guest star: Joe Ross as Duane Cartwright (uncredited)

17

17

"The Undergraduate"

Oscar Rudolph

David P. Harmon

January 23, 1970

018

Greg seems to be having trouble with math. Mike and Carol discover that Greg's "math trouble" is actually him having a crush on his math teacher, Miss Linda O'Hara (Gigi Perreau). The situation is resolved when Miss O'Hara's fiancée, Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team's first base player Wes Parker, promises Greg two tickets to the next season's opener if Greg promises to get an A in math.

Bobby becomes upset when Tiger runs away, and the family searches for him. The kids all chip in money for Bobby to buy an ad and offer a reward. After the Brady's scour the area, Tiger is found at a neighbor's house, having fathered a litter of puppies.

Guest stars: Maggie Malooly as Mrs. Simpson, Gary Grimes as the young man

While Carol is away caring for her sick Aunt Mary, Alice sprains her ankle after slipping on some Chinese Checkers left out by the kids. As punishment, the kids are all pressed into service to perform all the household chores. Things do not go so well at first, but through learning how to cooperate things improve markedly.

20

20

"Brace Yourself"

Oscar Rudolph

Brad Radnitz

February 13, 1970

020

Marcia tearfully frets "I'm ugly, ugly, ugly!" over her new braces. Then her date Alan Anthony (Mike Robertson) cancels, claiming that he has to go out of town with his parents to visit a relative. Greg, Mike and Alice make attempts to arrange replacement dates, but a lack of coordination ruins the plan. Then just before the night of the dance, Alan arrives to resume the date ... before showing off his new braces (which he had fitted after an accident with his bicycle).

Peter learns a lesson in heroism and humility after being written up as "Hero of the Month" in the local newspaper for saving a young girl's life during an accident at Driscoll's Toy Shop. Peter is so enamored with his heroics that throws himself a congratulatory party. He is humbled when no one shows up.

No thanks to Cindy, Marcia's diary gets mixed in with books for a charity drive, leading the family on a search for her diary. The reason for the frantic search, is that Marcia's worried someone will find out she has a crush on Desi Arnaz, Jr. In order to cheer Marcia up, Alice contacts Lucille Ball's housekeeper, and requests that the young Arnaz pay Marcia a visit.

Mike considers selling the Bradys' undersized house when the children complain about a lack of room. However, the kids have second thoughts and pretend to be ghostsin order to scare off would-be buyers. The kids' efforts succeed, while Mike realizes how much the kids like the current home, even with the lack of space.

Carol and Mike switch roles to see who is better at the other's household chores. Just as Carol tries teaching baseball to her sons, only to give new meaning to the word incompetence, Mike tries to help Marcia with her cooking project in order to earn a Girl Scouts cooking badge, only to be the victim of several accidents in the kitchen.

Note: During the filming of this episode, Robert Reed took issue with Sherwood Schwartz's direction to slip on an egg.[1]

When Jan becomes depressed from a lack of attention, her spirits are lifted when she receives a locket from a secret admirer, however Jan loses the locket. Jan uses her detective skills to find it, and can't discover who sent it. Alice later confides in Jan that she sent the locket; she was a middle child too and often felt inferior to her two sisters.

Season 2 (1970–1971)

Greg's ego runs amok after a compliment from Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team pitcher Don Drysdale. When Greg decides to dedicate his whole life to the sport, Mike invites Drysdale over to talk about the drawbacks of life on the road, making sure Greg overhears. However, it only convinces Greg more that he is the next big thing. It takes a 12-run shelling in his Pony League game to knock Greg back to reality.

2

27

"The Babysitters"

Oscar Rudolph

Bruce Howard

October 2, 1970

027

Greg and Marcia convince Mike and Carol that they can babysit Peter, Jan, Bobby and Cindy. Carol and Mike go out to a fancy restaurant and eventually both of them agree they need to go check on the kids. Meanwhile, the kids are doing fine. Then when Carol and Mike get home, Mike trips on a bike in the backyard. Marcia and Greg hear it and call the police. When the police arrive, Carol and Mike explain what had happened, while the kids watch through the window. Later, Carol and Mike go out to a movie and leave Greg and Marcia in charge.

Guest stars: Gil Stuart as the maitre d', Jerry Jones as a police officer (a second officer is uncredited)

Marcia is accused by the school principal J. P. Randolph (E.G. Marshall) of drawing an unflattering picture of her English teacher Mrs Denton. Mike and Carol believe Marcia's claim she merely copied a portrait of George Washington and never wrote Denton's name on the picture. They allow Marcia to have her planned slumber party, but she still has to serve a week's detention at school. Marcia becomes convinced her best friend Jenny was the guilty party and "uninvites" her. Greg and his brothers conspire to disrupt the party and place itching powder in the girls' sleeping bags. While the girls clean up, Paula (Chris Charney), another one of Marcia's friends, admits she took the drawing and added the insulting remark. Marcia re-invites Jenny to the party.

Greg plans to make a documentary film about the first Thanksgiving for a school project, starring the Bradys and Alice. The family becomes too much for Greg because of their constant complaining, but later they realize how hard they had been on Greg. They apologize and promise to do whatever Greg says, and the movie is finally made.

5

30

"Going, Going... Steady"

Oscar Rudolph

David P. Harmon

October 23, 1970

025

Marcia's new boyfriend Harvey Klinger is a nerdy insect collector. The family initially helps Marcia win Harvey's affection, including tutoring her on bugs. When Marcia succeeds, Carol and Mike feel uneasy about Marcia starting to "go steady".

6

31

"Call Me Irresponsible"

Hal Cooper

Bruce Howard

October 30, 1970

033

Greg wants money to buy a new car so Mike hires him as an office assistant at Mike's architectural firm. Greg is fired on the first day after losing important blueprints at a newsstand. Mike convinces Ed Phillips to give Greg another chance, and Greg is rehired. Greg, however, loses a second set of plans, but manages to find them.

Notes: Jack Collins begins a recurring role for season two, as Ed Phillips. Susan Olsen (Cindy) does not appear in this episode.

Guest stars: Annette Ferra as Randy Peterson, Bob Peoples as Mr. Peterson, William "Billy" Benedict as the newsstand vendor, Barbara Morrison as the drama coach,Gordon Jump as the mechanic

7

32

"The Treasure of Sierra Avenue"

Oscar Rudolph

Gwen Bagni & Paul Dubov

November 6, 1970

028

The boys discover a wallet containing $1,100 in a vacant lot. The girls want a share of the money but the boys refuse, causing tension between the groups. Mike and Carol tell the kids that they must turn the wallet in to the police. In the process, the boys learn that honesty and integrity are more important in life than "finders keepers".

A bully named Buddy Hinton teases Cindy about her lisp ("Baby talk, baby talk. It's a wonder you can walk."). Peter tries to defend Cindy, but backs out of a fight with Buddy, and Buddy tells everyone at school that Peter is "chicken". Mike tells Peter to reason with Buddy, but instead Peter ends up with a black eye. Mike and Carol try to talk to Buddy's parents, but both realize that they're twice as bad as their son. Mike tells Peter that he can defend himself and Cindy if Buddy teases again. The next day, Peter and Cindy are again teased by Buddy, but this time Peter punches him, which knocks Buddy's tooth out. Cindy starts to tease Buddy, but Peter stops her. He tells her that the teasing hurt them, so it must hurt Buddy, too.

When her crush on classmate Clark Tyson is unrequited, Jan makes up a new boyfriend, "George Glass". Her parents' suspicions are confirmed when the family's efforts to locate "George Glass" for a surprise party for Jan are unsuccessful. Carol realizes that Jan's tomboyish clothing is the reason Clark is not really interested in her. Clark and Jan later hit it off, and "George" is a part of Jan's past.

Cindy's constant tattling is becoming a problem, and her siblings start to avoid her. Things reach a head after Cindy tells Sam that Alice was hugging the mailman (John Wheeler) and Sam misinterprets it, causing tension between Alice and Sam. (Alice was just very happy that a package came, which was part of the subplot where Alice was entering many contests and finally won one of them. She won a stereo system which was put in the family room and the first record the Bradys acquired was the best of Gilbert & Sullivan).

Note: Christopher Knight (Peter) does not appear in this episode. This is one of two Brady Bunch episodes disliked by Susan Olsen, as it caused her problems in real life.

Bobby convinces Peter to let him into the treehouse. After he falls from the treehouse, Bobby becomes scared of heights, which the family tries to help him overcome. Bobby's fear is cured when he is forced to rescue his pet parakeet.

Notes: Maureen McCormick (Marcia) does not appear in this episode. In the trampoline scene Carol calls Peter by his portrayer's name 'Chris', and Greg calls Jan by her portrayer's name 'Eve'.[10]

12

37

"Confessions, Confessions"

Russ Mayberry

Brad Radnitz

December 18, 1970

031

Peter fears he will be grounded and will miss an upcoming camping trip after breaking Carol's vase while playing ball in the house. (In his dream sequence, the ball repeatedly breaks the vase with different visual effects, and Peter's and Bobby's voices are repeatedly heard, "Mom's favorite vase." "She always says, 'Don't play ball in the house.'")[11] All of the other kids conspire to cover up what Peter has done, and assist in gluing the vase together. The damage nevertheless comes to light when water trickles between the vase's glued cracks and onto the dinner table.[12] All of the Brady kids, except Peter, confess. The parents realize what has happened and decree that Peter must decide the kids' punishments, and take Peter shopping for a new lantern for his camping trip, hoping he will confess. Instead, Peter wants the lantern. His conscience finally catches up with him and he admits to breaking the vase, voluntarily decides not to go camping, and does all of the chores he had handed out to the others as punishment.

Jan starts playing practical jokes, one of which results in the escape of Greg's science project mouse, Myron.

Note: This episode sparked an argument between Reed and Schwartz over Mike's dialogue with the mouse.[10]

14

39

"Where There's Smoke"

Oscar Rudolph

David P. Harmon

January 8, 1971

041

Greg is coerced by friend Tommy to smoke. This is seen by Cindy and Jan, and the news gets back to Carol and Mike. They challenge Greg who insists he did not like it and will not smoke again. Later Carol sees a packet of cigarettes fall from Greg's jacket, though he can't understand how they got there. Tommy's mother who runs an anti-smoking committee, removes Carol from the committee due to Greg's smoking. Alice realizes that the jacket with the cigarettes was not Greg's; his has a repaired tear. It is Tommy's jacket, and they were Tommy's cigarettes. Tommy tries to switch the jackets. Greg forces Tommy to admit the truth to Mike and Carol, and Tommy's mother overhears.

Peter and Jan are invited to a party. Peter is reluctant to attend. Jan decides she needs a new look and buys a dark wig to stand out at the party. The plan fails when party-goers believe the ridiculous new look is Jan playing a joke, and she runs home in tears. Jan's friends show up to explain no offense was intended: they thought it was a joke because Jan's real hair is so beautiful.

Bobby is depressed after being rejected from joining the Glee Club, so Mike suggests a musical instrument. He chooses the drums, but his talentless efforts drive the family and the neighbors crazy. Peter is relentlessly teased because he plays football and sings for the Glee Club. Just as he is about to quit the Glee Club, he and the other football players learn a lesson from Los Angeles Rams defensive end Deacon Jones.

Just as Mike's boss Ed Phillips (Jack Collins) invites the Brady family for an outing on his boat, Cindy comes down with tonsillitis. Dr. Howard (John Howard) thinks Cindy'stonsillectomy could be performed after the trip, but then discovers that Carol also has tonsillitis. Mike decides to postpone the boat trip, but the trip gets canceled when Carol inadvertently insults Mr. Phillips. The confusion is later resolved and the family goes on the trip.

Greg tries too hard to act like an older teenager: he wants his own room and, in trying to pick up an older girl, tries acting too mature for his age at school. He gets Mike's den as a room since the attic is too small. Greg refuses to participate in family activities such as planning the annual family camping trip. Greg soon realizes that he has a lot of growing up to do.

Note: Carol suggests they make Greg's room in the attic but Mike says that would only work if Greg were only two and a half feet tall, meaning it was too small. A later episode shows the family cleaning the attic and it is large enough to become a bedroom.

Guest stars: Julie Cobb as the young lady, and Chris Beaumont as the young man

At school, Marcia is approached by a television news reporter Ken Jones (playing himself in a cameo) doing a story on the women's liberation movement. Greg watches the news report and tries to rebut his sister's comments. Marcia decides to make a point by declaring that she is joining the Frontier Scouts, an all-male Scouting organization to prove she is more than capable of completing the initiation tasks. Too old to be able to do the same in retaliation for Marcia's Sunflower Girls, Greg decides to enlist Peter to join in his stead. While Peter's attempt to sell cookies wilts under his gross embarrassment, Marcia proves she is well suited to join the Frontier Scouts by passing all the tests. Marcia ultimately does not join, she just wanted to make her point known.

20

45

"Lights Out"

Oscar Rudolph

Bruce Howard

February 19, 1971

045

Cindy develops a fear of the dark after seeing a magician's "disappearing lady" act at a party. Peter helps Cindy deal with her fear by asking her to be his assistant for a magic act at his school's upcoming talent show. The whole thing is nearly undermined when Bobby plays a cruel joke on his sister, but Cindy shows courage when she learns that Peter's new assistant, Jan, hurt herself in gym class.

When Cindy comes home with a first-place trophy best jacks player, Bobby realizes that he is the only Brady family member with no first place trophy. He first tries entering a magazine selling contest and seems to be successful, until Cindy unwittingly reveals that Mike and Carol have asked their friends to buy subscriptions from him, Bobby quits, as he wants to win a trophy on his own. He wins a place on the Kartoon King (Hal Smith) TV show, where he takes part in an ice cream eat-off. Bobby does not win the eat-off, but his siblings throw him a surprise party, giving him a first place award for trying the hardest.

Carol leads the family in campaigning against city hall to save their neighborhood park. However, battle lines are drawn when the park may be the site of a new courthouse Mike is designing. The Bradys argue over the fate of the park. When Mike's boss Ed Phillips (Jack Collins) confronts him, he saves the day when his design moves the courthouse to a new site.

Guest stars: Carolyn Stellar as Greg's school teacher, Jackie Coogan as the man

Alice's dashing former sweetheart, Mark Millard (Stephen Dunne), shows up at the Brady doorstep wanting to rekindle their romance. However, Mark only wants to get back with Alice to lure her into a fraudulent scheme. The Bradys discover his ruse, and convince Alice of his true motivations.

Carol is invited to tell her family's story for Tomorrow's Woman Magazine, but the story is rejected for being too realistic. During a second interview, Carol exaggerates her "liberation" in the hopes of getting the article published. The truth about Carol's exaggeration is revealed when the editors visit the Brady home.

Season 3 (1971–1972)

23 episodes

No. inseason

No. inseries

Title

Directed by

Written by

Original airdate

Production#

1

50

"Ghost Town U.S.A."

Oscar Rudolph

Howard Leeds

September 17, 1971

049

The family travel to the Grand Canyon for their third annual camping trip. On the way, they stop at a ghost town for the night. There they are confronted by an old prospector, Zachariah T. Brown (Jim Backus) who fears they plan to steal his gold, and lock them in an old jail cell. The family free themselves but Zachariah has taken their car. Peter and Mike go out to search for Zachariah and the car.

Note: Part 1 of a three-part episode, filmed entirely on set and in rural towns outside of Los Angeles.

The family, stranded in the ghost town, seeks help by starting a signal fire. Zachariah (Jim Backus) returns with Peter, Mike, and the car. Mike has convinced Zachariah they are not stealing his claim. The family heads to the Grand Canyon. There, they ride mules down into the canyon, and Cindy and Bobby notice a Native American boy. They follow him, but get lost. The others frantically search for Cindy and Bobby.

Note: Part 2 of a three-part episode, mostly filmed on location at the Grand Canyon.

Bobby and Cindy are found. Mike comes to the Jimmy's aid; he had run away believing his grandfather Chief Eagle Cloud (Jay Silverheels) would scoff at his ambition to become an astronaut. Mike convinces him to talk to his grandfather. Chief Eagle Cloud turns out to be proud of his grandson's ambition, and he invites the Bradys to participate in a ceremony making them honorary members of his tribe, and they each receive titles: Big Eagle of Large Nest/Mike, Yellow Flower with Many Petals/Carol, Stalking Wolf/Greg, Middle Buffalo and Sleeping Lizard/Peter, Wandering Blossom/Cindy, Little Bear Who Loses Way/Bobby, Dove of Morning Light/Jan, Willow Dancing in Wind/Marcia, Squaw in Waiting/Alice.

Note: Part 3 of a three-part episode, filmed entirely on location at the Grand Canyon

Greg learns the principle of Caveat Emptor when he gets his driver's license and buys his first car, a 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible, from a slick-talking friend. But all the restoration in the world can't change the fact the car is a lemon. Greg plans on selling the car to a gullible friend, but has a change of heart and sells it for junk instead.

Greg is furious that Marcia is dating his school rival, Warren Mulaney (Gary Rist). After a date with Warren, Marcia decides to not date him again. When Greg demands Marcia not see him again, she invites him home to spite Greg. However Greg has brought home Marcia's rival, Kathy Lawrence (Sheri Cowart). Marcia and Greg clash over this and Mike admonishes them for using Kathy and Warren to make a point. When they go to the other room to apologize they find that Warren and Kathy have befriended each other and left together. In the subplot, Alice, Peter, Cindy and Bobby work on the dunking machine for the school carnival.

Peter is told he has no personality and takes it to heart. He tries to create a new personality, forcing different personae including an impersonation of Humphrey Bogart as Joe (repeating the family's dinner menu "porkchops and applesauce" in a Bogart like voice). None of the impersonations go over well so Peter buys a joke book. When he tries the jokes at his party everyone knows the punchlines. While trying to keep his party afloat, Bobby and Cindy—who in the subplot are on a safety drill campaign—call a surprise fire drill, forcing everyone to leave the house.

Marcia wins the lead female role of Juliet Capulet in the school production of Romeo and Juliet opposite Harold Axelrod (Randy Caseas) as Romeo Montague. Peter and Jan are cast as palace guards, and rehearse their brief roles repeatedly. Marcia had auditioned for the part of the nurse and feels that she is not good enough for the lead female role. The family makes an effort to encourage Marcia, but her ego grows and she becomes unmanageable. Marcia is heartbroken when her diva-like behavior results in her dismissal from the play. At the last minute, when the girl cast as Juliet's mother Lady Capulet gets the mumps, a contrite Marcia asks to be given the role and promises she will act in a professional and courteous manner.

The Bradys are hired by a hip director, Skip Farnum (Paul Winchell), to star in a television commercial for laundry detergent, due to their unaffected manner. The detergent is not the family's current brand, but a comparison test shows the new detergent as superior so the family agrees to do the commercial. They take advice from acting teacher Myrna Carter (Bonnie Boland), but as a result their acting is forced. Skip is appalled and fires the Bradys, remarking that the acting methods remind him of a "terrible" actress they worked with: Myrna Carter. As compensation the family receives 2,000 boxes of laundry detergent.

Note: Robert Reed wrote a four-page memo complaining about Sherwood Schwartz and the character of Skip Farnum, but he did like Paul Winchell's acting.[10]

9

58

"The Private Ear"

Hal Cooper

Michael Morris

November 12, 1971

058

Using Mike's tape recorder, Peter eavesdrops on his siblings' conversations. Mike counsels Peter on his behavior and considers the matter settled, but Greg and Marcia take things into their own hands for revenge, and discuss a surprise party for Peter ensuring he overhears. Mike and Carol learn of this and sabotague the revenge by throwing an actual surprise party for Peter.

Jan is tired of her teachers constantly comparing her to the popular and successful Marcia. She dumps Marcia's awards in the closet and complains that all she hears is "Marcia this, Marcia that... Marcia, Marcia, Marcia." Jan is thrilled to establish her own successful identity by winning an Honor award for an essay she wrote. When she realizes there is a scoring error and she actually came second, Jan grapples with her conscience and considers keeping secret her discovery. At assembly with her parents in attendance and minutes before the presentation, Jan reveals her discovery to her teacher. The teacher's presentation depicts Jan as gracious and mature for revealing the error.

Greg becomes a member of the Westdale High School football team. Mike supports the idea, but Carol fears Greg will get hurt. Greg is indeed injured in a scrimmage so he turns to photography. Greg realizes his importance when he snaps a photo of a bad call on the field. Bobby also takes up photography for the subplot.

Marcia, president of her school's Davy Jonesfan club, hastily promises she can get him to sing at her school's upcoming dance on the strength of Jones' letter saying he would do her a favor. Marcia scrambles to contact Jones to ask him to appear. After unsuccessful attempts at the local TV station and at his hotel, Marcia's appeal to Davy's manager convinces him to make an appearance. Davy realizes he cannot go back on his word.

Guest stars: Marcia Wallace as Mrs. Robbins, Tina Andrews as Doreen, Whitney Rydbeck as Page, Kimberly Beck as Laura, and Britt Leach as the recordings manager. The actors who play the receptionist and the audio technician are uncredited

Notes: This was Davy Jones' first televised appearance after the end of The Monkees;[13] his song featured in this episode, "Girl", was also used as the theme to the Paramount picture Star Spangled Girl, which was released in theaters the same month as this episode's original broadcast. In 1997, TV Guide ranked the episode number 37 on it's '100 Greatest Episodes of All Time' list.[14]

Jan accidentally takes someone else's bicycle and her grades are falling. It is learned her eyesight is failing and she needs glasses – which she refuses to wear. She bicycles without her glasses, but crashes her bike destroying the portrait of the kids Mike intended as an anniversary present for Carol. Jan tells the kids the photographer lost the negative and they have to be photographed again for the replacement portrait. Mike realizes it is a new photograph – Jan wears her glasses in the new portrait. Jan says she was not wearing her glasses at the time of her accident and that she sold her bicycle to pay for the replacement portrait. In the subplot, Carol and Mike are trying to hide anniversary presents from one another.

When they are not invited to Carol's cousin's wedding and asked to stay out of the way of their older siblings' activities, Bobby and Cindy decide to show how "important" they are by setting a world's record for most hours on a seesaw. They get newspaper coverage for their attempt, which ultimately fails when they fall asleep short of the record. The older siblings realize the attention-craving Bobby and Cindy indeed have their place in the family and are worthy of respect. In the subplot, the older Bradys are planning for Carol's cousin's marriage.

Bobby is self-conscious about his diminutive height. Greg, in the subplot, gets a job at Sam's butcher shop to save for a surfboard. The girls' attempts to convince Bobby he is growing do not help, but Bobby learns the value of being small when he locks himself and Greg in Sam's meat locker.

Greg needs $150 to cut a music record. To get the money Greg forms a singing group with his siblings, but Peter's voice begins to break. Greg comes up with a new song to accommodate the breaking voice. Two songs are featured: "We Can Make the World a Whole Lot Brighter" and "Time to Change".

Note: Christopher Knight disliked that episode - of all six Brady kids' actors, he was the only one who didn't like singing (even admitting it himself).

17

66

"Jan's Aunt Jenny"

Hal Cooper

Michael Morris

January 21, 1972

066

Jan discovers an old photograph of a child that looks just like her. Carol explains it is Aunt Jenny (Imogene Coca) and describes her to Jan. Jan is anxious to meet her great aunt, but changes her attitude on seeing a current photo of Jenny. Jan worries she will resemble the old and eccentric-looking Jenny at that age. Jan's doubt is placated when she meets Aunt Jenny, a fun-loving Auntie Mame-type, and realizes her beauty within. The subplot has the Bradys cleaning junk from the attic and Mike attempting to restore an old record player.

Greg comments to a pesky Bobby that he can do twice as many chin-ups as he can. Greg did not mean anything by it, but Bobby demands a contest, with the loser acting as the winner's servant for a week. Bobby wins and soon becomes a tyrant. He invites himself along on Greg's date with Rachel (Hope Sherwood). Bobby is annoying and disruptive through the date, and through his intentionally silly antics rips the soft top of Mike's convertible, leaving himself with a large debt to Mike for the repairs. In the subplot, Carol and Mike attend a high school reunion with a bet of their own.

Peter joins his school newspaper and becomes popular when his classmates see themselves mentioned in print. Peter writes a flattering piece on his officious science teacher Mr. Price (Milton Parsons), hoping it will help him gain a better grade. After the test Peter admits what he has done to Mr. Price, not realizing that he has read the piece – standard procedure when staff are mentioned in the paper. They both learn something from the discussion.

When Alice goes on a week's vacation, she invites her identical cousin Emma (Ann B. Davis), a former Army WAC, to care for the household. Emma starts the Brady kids on a rigid schedule of exercise and work. When Mike and Carol approach Emma to commend her for teaching discipline to the kids, Emma decides that they too should join the sessions. Everyone can't wait until Alice returns from her vacation, and a "welcome home" party intended for Alice is misconstrued by Emma as the Bradys' show of appreciation.

When she can't do what her older sisters can, Cindy decides to act more mature than her age. Bobby tries to help by posing as a secret admirer; when Mike wants to expose him, Bobby asks his friend Tommy (Eric Shea) to reveal himself as the admirer. Cindy initially turns Tommy off with her mature airs, but then when she starts acting her age Tommy expresses true affection for her.

Marcia's plain and awkward classmate Molly Webber (Debi Storm) is nominated for hostess of the school's Banquet Night as a cruel joke by other students. Marcia is angered by this, so decides to make over Molly to deflate the joke. Marcia is in a bind when a nominee drops out and Marcia becomes the other nominee. She considers dropping out herself until experiencing Molly's arrogant new behavior. Molly uses Marcia's campaign speech without acknowledging Marcia for her help, and with it, wins the contest. Molly has a change of heart and confesses.

Carol is involved in a minor car accident with Marcia, Bobby, and Cindy as passengers. Carol and Harry Duggan (Jackie Coogan), the other driver involved, initially agree to pay for their own damage. Duggan later files a lawsuit against Carol, claiming the accident was due to her reckless driving and that he was injured as a result. Carol goes to court to dispute the exaggerated charges, and wins with a big assist from Mike.

Season 4 (1972–1973)

Mike is sent to Hawaii to check on a construction project, and his firm allows him to take the family and Alice along. The family takes an enjoyable tour of Hawaii. And when Bobby joins his father on the tour of the construction project, he finds an ancient tiki, which, according to an old Hawaiian legend, brings bad luck to anyone who touches it. The Brady boys laugh at the curse and blow it off as superstition, but then start to think differently when Greg has a surfing accident. During their sightseeing tour of Hawaii, the Bradys learn about the history and legend of Pearl Harbor, and Cindy is pleased to have legendary Hawaiian crooner Don Ho and Sam Kapu serenade her.

Note: This is Part 1 of three parts, filmed mostly on location in Hawaii

The tiki apparently brings continued bad luck to the family: Greg is reeling from his surfing crash, a wall hanging in the boys' hotel room falls and almost hits Bobby, and a tarantula finds its way into their room and nearly bites Peter. Bobby tries to get rid of the tiki, but it is returned to him by an unknowing Jan. The boys learn that the idol must be discarded at an ancient burial ground in order for the curse to be removed.

An archaeologist, believing the boys have come to steal his latest "find", holds them captive on the burial grounds where they are directed to return the tiki. After the girls reveal their siblings' whereabouts, Mike rescues his sons, then convinces the professor that they have no intention of claiming credit for finding the burial grounds. A Hawaiian party wraps up the Bradys' latest vacation.

4

76

"Today, I Am a Freshman"

Hal Cooper

Myles Wilder

October 13, 1972

075

Marcia is anxious about her freshman year of high school, and Mike asks Greg to introduce his sister around. Marcia decides to join every club at school, including the Boosters, a club of conceited girls who administer strict social rules. When Marcia invites the Boosters over for her interview, Peter's previously malfunctioning science project model volcano, which is the subplot, finally erupts, spewing "lava" over Marcia and the outraged Boosters. Marcia breaks into laughter and realizes the humorless Boosters are not the types of girls she wants to socialize with.

5

77

"Cyrano de Brady"

Hal Cooper

Skip Webster

October 20, 1972

076

Peter is smitten when Jan brings home her pretty classmate Kerry Hathaway (Kym Karath). Peter is shy with Kerry, so he enlists Greg to help with what to say to Kerry. Kerry mistakenly concludes that Greg is the one interested in her, which causes friction between Greg and Peter. To make it up to Peter, Greg enlists Marcia's help in a play-act to convince Kerry that he is an aggressive, womanizing playboy so she will lose interest in him. Peter arrives home and, unaware of the plan, tells Kerry that "Debbie" (Marcia) is their sister, and that it was an act. Peter's honesty wins Kerry's love.

After being spooked by the boys one night, the girls work on their own method of revenge. Once the score is evened, Mike calls for an end to the pranks. Regardless, the kids team up to scare Alice. Mike and Carol arrive home early and break up the scheme, but Alice arrives on the scene. Panicked, Alice smashes the bust of Mike that Carol made for an art contest, which was the subplot, thinking it is the head of a burglar. Carol and Mike come down hard on the kids and suspend the kids' allowances for two weeks, pointing out that their actions could have resulted in tragedy.

Greg and Marcia each enlist their parents to perform with them in the Westdale High School's talent revue, Family Night Frolics. Carol and Marcia perform the featured song "Together (Wherever We Go)" from the musical Gypsy, and Greg and Mike do a reading of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's The Day is Done. The reading is a unique interpretation complete with visual gags, bad puns, and a rubber chicken. In the subplot, Alice and Sam (Allan Melvin) break up, but solve their differences during the talent revue.

Jan complains about the lack of privacy and personal space, and declares she wants to become an only child. Her angered siblings teach her a lesson; they grant her wish by ignoring her and staying out of her way. Meanwhile in the subplot, the family plans a square dance at a Hoedown party, and Alice and Carol compete by making strawberry preserves for the dance.

Note: This episode caused an argument on-set between Robert Reed and Sherwood Schwartz over lines in the script.[1]

Mike mistakenly believes Greg wants to follow in his father's footsteps to become an architect. Greg does not want to offend Mike by admitting he does not want to become an architect, he merely wrote that he did for a school assignment. Greg creates ridiculous designs to show he will never make it as an architect. In the subplot, Cindy wants to be a model, Bobby an astronaut, while Peter and Jan want go into the medical profession and borrow large medical encyclopedias from the library. Peter mistakenly concludes that he has contracted a rare disease, but he has misread the encyclopedia.

10

82

"Goodbye, Alice, Hello"

George Tyne

Milt Rosen

November 24, 1972

083

A series of misunderstandings leads Alice to believe she has irreparably breached the Brady kids' trust, prompting her resignation. Alice's temporary replacement is Kay (Mary Treen), Alice's friend who had a similar unpleasant experience with another family. Although Kay is very nice, she has no intentions of bonding with the family; instead she does her job. The kids, with help from Kay, track down Alice at a restaurant where she now works and convince her to return.

Note: Robert Reed does not appear in this episode.

11

83

"Greg's Triangle"

Richard Michaels

Bill Freedman & Ben Gershman

December 8, 1972

086

Greg dates classmate Jennifer Nichols (Tannis G. Montgomery). Carol and Mike suspect Jennifer may be dating Greg with an ulterior motive as Jennifer, along with Marcia, is trying out for head cheerleader, and Greg is on the judging committee. At the tryout, Greg is caught in a dilemma when he has to cast the deciding vote. Greg fears both Jennifer and Marcia will be angered if he does not favor them, but ultimately selects Pat Conway (Rita Wilson) as he judged her the best cheerleader. Greg is surprised that Marcia is happy; she knows Greg voted honestly. However, Jennifer dumps Greg, who realizes she was using him to win his vote. In the subplot, Carol takes up golf with Mike's help.

Note: Although Carol is learning how to play golf, it is revealed in the first season episode "Vote For Brady" that she has a set of clubs and used to play golf all the time.

12

84

"Everyone Can't Be George Washington"

Richard Michaels

Sam Locke & Milton Pascal

December 22, 1972

085

Peter auditions for the role of George Washington in the school play, but is cast as Benedict Arnold instead. When friends start teasing him as a "traitor", Peter feigns laryngitis to lose the role, but Mike convinces him his behavior in letting everyone down was the same as the real Benedict Arnold. Peter agrees to be in the play and is praised for his brilliant portrayal of Arnold.

Marcia has a crush on the family's new dentist, Dr. Stanley Vogel (Don Brit Reid), and mistakenly concludes that a favor he plans to ask of her is to date him. He actually wants to ask Marcia to babysit his three-year-old child when he takes his wife out. In a subplot, the boys build a motorized go cart.

Bobby learns about power, discretion and responsibility when he is named safety monitor at school (involuntarily). His classmates avoid him, and when he writes up Cindy for running in the hallway and gets her a detention, she gets mad at him. Bobby still abuses his power and writes people up for minor infractions, including his older siblings. Bobby learns his lesson when he breaks the rules himself to save a classmate's cat from an abandoned house. In the subplot other family members restore an old sailboat.

Note: Barry Williams admitted to being stoned in the scene where he is pumping up the bike tire.[10]

Mike prohibits Greg from driving the family car for a week after Bobby describes his near-accident on the freeway. Greg then borrows a car from his friend George Thompson to buy tickets to a rock concert before they sell out. When Greg's parents call him on it, he states that he was complying with the letter of the punishment, by not driving "the family car". Greg is grounded from leaving home for ten days, except for school. Greg convinces his parents to abolish the punishment on the condition he does everything by "his exact words". They make Greg fulfill all his commitments to the letter, to teach him a lesson. In the subplot, Peter and Bobby train their pet frogs for a frog jumping contest.

Note: This is the second of two episodes to not have an epilogue, after the pilot episode "The Honeymoon".

16

88

"Amateur Nite"

Jack Arnold

Sam Locke & Milton Pascal

January 26, 1973

092

Jan's misunderstanding of the price for the engraving of a silver platter they intend to give their parents as an anniversary gift leaves the kids scrambling for cash. To raise the funds they participate in television talent show as "The Silver Platters".

Guest stars: Steve Dunne as Pete Sterne, Robert Nadder as Alfred Baily, Harold Peary as Mr. Goodbody, Stephen Dunne's second appearance, having previously played Mark Millard on season two's "Alice's September Song"

When the family learns that Bobby's hero is Jesse James, Mike and Carol set out to teach him the truth about the outlaw. When books and censored movies on TV suggest to Bobby that James was not a villain, Mike tracks down a relative of one of James' victims to share his story with Bobby. That, plus a nightmare in which Jesse James kills the Bradys during a train robbery, finally gets through to Bobby.

Marcia is asked out by school hunk Doug Simpson (Nicholas Hammond) so breaks her date with Charley (Stuart Getz), the nice but unspectacular son of a wallpaper salesman, using the excuse "something suddenly came up". When Peter's wildly thrown football hits Marcia's nose causing it to swell and bruise ("Oh, my nose!"), Doug breaks their date with the excuse "something suddenly came up". When Marcia's nose quickly heals, Doug asks her out again. Marcia rejects him, admits to Charley what she did, and goes on the date with him. Marcia reveals that during the date Doug showed up and, after some teasing, fights with Charley, resulting in a swollen nose for Doug. Mike and Carol redecorate and can't decide on a wallpaper pattern for their bedroom in the subplot.

Peter gets his first job as a bicycle mechanic. His painfully slow process repairing a bicycle irritates his boss, Mr. Martinelli (Jay Novello). Martinelli fires him for his plodding pace; he explains that Peter is "very nice" but just not "mechanically inclined". Peter keeps the truth from his family and takes refuge in the park until Carol and Mike visit the shop to purchase bicycles. They console Peter; Mike explains that he has lost jobs.

Cindy takes a pair of earrings Carol loaned to Marcia, and loses them. Cindy enlists budding detective Peter to help find the jewelry before Marcia or Carol find out. The pressure is on when Carol wants to wear them to a costume party (the planning of which is the subplot) where she a Mike plan to dress as Antony and Cleopatra. When the truth comes out the family reconstructs the events before Cindy lost the earrings, and find them in the washing machine – damaged.

The kids try to set up their maternal great-grandmother, Grandma Connie Hutchins (Florence Henderson), and paternal great-grandfather, Grandpa Hank Brady (Robert Reed), after the two come for a visit. While Grandma is a real "swinger", Grandpa is a real "stick in the mud". After some problems, Grandma Hutchins finally wins over Grandpa Brady, and the two elope in Las Vegas.

22

94

"You Can't Win Them All"

Jack Donohue

Lois Hire

March 16, 1973

082

Bobby and Cindy vie for a spot on a kids' television quiz show Question the Kids with host Monty Marshall (Edward Knight, Christopher Knight's father). Cindy earns her spot, and gains a huge ego as a result, but blanks when the cameras start rolling. In the subplot, Mike and Carol plan a dinner party which was originally going to be a barbecue, then Mexican food, then a smorgasbord, changing dates several times, without resolving a date for the party.

Greg and Marcia each want to convert the newly cleared attic into their own room. Greg is ultimately given the room as the oldest of the children, but relinquishes it to Marcia after hearing her tearful pleas for privacy from her sisters. An annoyed Bobby and Peter— wanting to keep their room to themselves—conspire to frustrate Marcia enough to have her relinquish the room. Marcia initially accuses Greg of the shenanigans, but they soon realize what is happening. Marcia reasons she will have her opportunity to take the room when Greg leaves for college so gives him the room.

Season 5 (1973–1974)

After the Brady kids perform a song together, slick-talking talent scout Tami Cutler (Claudia Jennings) wants to sign Greg to a solo recording contract and make him over into a singer named Johnny Bravo. Greg alienates his siblings in pursuing this, and upsets his parents when he announces plans to postpone college. Greg anticipates solo stardom, but when he discovers his recordings have been electronically "sweetened", confronts Tami. Tami and her associate admit they liked Greg only because he "fit the suit", prompting Greg to walk out.

Discovering the New York Jets will be playing in town, Bobby boasts to his friends that he personally knows their quarterback Joe Namath. When Bobby's friends demand he back his words, Cindy secretly helps to arrange Namath's visit, by writing the star quarterback and claiming that Bobby is deathly ill. Bobby learns of Cindy's plan only when Namath comes to visit and plays along, but Mike and Carol catch on to the plan. Meanwhile, Jan is learning first aid in the subplot.

At Cindy's behest the family and Sam (Allan Melvin) put on a backyard theater production of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" to raise funds for a retirement gift for Cindy's popular teacher Mrs. Whitfield (Frances Whitfield). When it is discovered Alice has already eaten the "poisoned apple" while rehearsing, Sam and Mike rush to the store (in costume) to buy an apple. Sam receives a parking fine, and the policeman says they must have a permit to host the production. A permit is granted on short notice allowing the show to go on.

Note: The cast of the production is 'Snow White' played by Carol, 'Prince Charming' played by Mike, 'Dopey' played by Sam, 'Doc' played by Greg, 'Sneezy' played by Peter, 'Sleepy' played by Marcia, 'Happy' played by Jan, 'Bashful' played by Bobby, 'Grumpy' played by Cindy, and 'the wicked queen' played by Alice.

After defending one of Cindy's friends at school, Bobby receives his first kiss. However, his new girlfriend Millicent (Melissa Sue Anderson) warns him that she may have the mumps. Bobby is worried he may jeopardize the Roaring Twenties party, which is the subplot, being organized by the family, by infecting everyone. However, it is a false alarm, and the party proceeds as planned.

Greg's date Sandra (Cindi Crosby) cancels when her cousin Linda (Linda Gibboney) visits from out of town. Wanting to salvage the date, Greg plans a double date. When no one wants to pair up with Linda, he turns to Peter, passing him off as a "friend" in his high school class named "Phil Packer". Linda and Sandra discover Greg's ruse but do not let on, and hatch a plan of revenge at a pizza parlor. In the subplot, Carol and Mike – on Jan's and Marcia's recommendations for great pizza – are entertaining a conservative client Juan Calderon and his wife Maria there. Sandra and Linda's revenge almost jeopardizes Mike's deal.

Greg is involved in the heist of a rival school's mascot (a goat named Raquel) in retaliation for the stealing of Westdale's mascot (a bear cub). Greg hides Raquel in his attic room, but this leads to a series of misunderstandings (most notably Mike thinking that Greg is keeping a girl in his room). Mike finds out about Raquel and suggests to Greg to set up a secret exchange of mascots with the other school. A last minute P.T.A. meeting at the Brady house ruins their plans, and they must hide Raquel from the group. They are eventually caught, and Greg's vice principal Mr. Binkley orders Greg to write a 5,000-word report on mascot stealing.

Marcia gets a job at a local ice cream shop. When her boss Mr. Haskell (Henry Corden) wants to start taking afternoons off, he puts Marcia in charge and hires Peter. Peter continually goofs off, so Marcia fires him and hires Jan as a replacement. Marcia is too busy for her boyfriend Jeff, who stops at the shop with another girl to make Marcia jealous. Marcia, angered by the stunt, squirts them with whipped cream. Mr. Haskell realizes that he is much happier running the shop than he is taking afternoons off, and lets Marcia go, keeping the harder working Jan. Marcia is at odds with Jan, but at least she now has plenty of time for Jeff. Peter surprises everyone by getting a new job at a pizza parlor. In the subplot, Alice is having a tough time sticking to her diet so she and Carol force Mike to go on one as well.

Bobby saves Peter from being struck by a falling ladder in their backyard. Peter, grateful to Bobby for saving his life, offers to become Bobby's "servant for life". Bobby takes advantage of the situation, forcing Peter to do all Bobby's chores. Peter soon regrets his offer, and breaks the pledge. The feud between Peter and Bobby causes Peter to tape a line across the middle of their shared bedroom; Bobby emphasizes that the bathroom is on his side by going in and flushing the toilet. Bobby is later accidentally locked in their bedroom closet; Peter arrives and opens the door, rescuing him. To resolve the dispute, Bobby effusively praises Peter for this supposedly heroic, life saving rescue. In the subplot, the girls' room is being wallpapered.

Note: Although the toilet is never seen in the series, it is heard to be flushed for the only time in this episode.

Greg's rival high school quarterback Jerry Rogers (Chris Beaumont) feigns interest in Marcia, but only to get the Westdale High School football team's playbook. Greg tries to warn Marcia about Jerry, and Bobby backs Greg's story when he sees Jerry try to steal the playbook. Greg devises a phony playbook and convinces Marcia to invite Jerry over. Marcia discovers his true intentions and dumps him. Mike tells Greg his deception was just as dishonest as Jerry stealing the playbook and tells him to correct things. Jerry's coach learns he stole the phony playbook and suspends him. In the subplot, Carol is visited by her egomaniacal high school sweetheart, Tank Gates (Denny Miller).

10

105

"Try, Try Again"

George Tyne

Larry Rhine & Al Schwartz

November 16, 1973

106

When she finds she simply has no talent as a ballet dancer, Jan tries to find something she is good at. She tries tap dancing and acting, but fails at both. However, while "acting" as a painter, one of Jan's teachers (Judy Landon) realizes her artistic talent, and Jan finds her niche as a painter. Meanwhile Mike cooks the family a gourmet dinner in the subplot.

The Bradys travel to Kings Island amusement park in Mason, Ohio, near Cincinnati, where Mike's company hopes to win the contract to build an addition. The hopes are jeopardized when Jan unknowingly walks off with the plans, leaving Mike with her poster of Yogi Bear. The family furiously scrambles to retrace their steps. Jan finds the sketches and the family rushes the plans to Mike and the park's board of directors before the 1 p.m. deadline.

When Jan and Marcia overhear Alice and Sam discussing elopement, they mistakenly believe they plan to elope. The family prepares a wedding reception, while Carol begins interviewing a replacement housekeeper for Alice's honeymoon. Sam (Allan Melvin) and Alice were actually discussing a cousin's elopement, and reveal the misunderstanding at the reception. In the subplot, Bobby is trying to learn to play the organ on an old portable.

Note: At the end of the episode Alice announces to Carol and Mike that she and Sam are engaged. There is no subsequent mention of a wedding in the series.

To win the title of her school's Most Popular Girl competition, Jan makes a host of promises to her friends. She wins the competition but fails to make good on the promises and becomes an insufferable snob. Realizing she is losing her friends, Jan sets out to right her wrongs. Meanwhile Carol and Mike try to plan a second honeymoon.

Ken (Ken Berry) and Kathy Kelly (Brooke Bundy), friends of Carol and Mike, plan to adopt a boy named Matt (Todd Lookinland [Mike Lookinland's brother]) from a localorphanage. By chance they also adopt Matt's two best friends: Dwayne (William Attmore II), an African American and Steve (Carey Wong), who is Asian, much to the chagrin of the Kelly family's bigoted neighbor Mrs. Payne (Molly Dodd).

Notes: This is the only episode other than the pilot episode, "The Honeymoon", credited to Sherwood Schwartz. It is a backdoor pilot for a planned series that was never produced. Sherwood Schwartz used the concept for Together We Stand in 1986, which would later relaunch as Nothing Is Easy in 1987.[1] Due to the episode being produced before "Miss Popularity", Cindy still wears her hair in pigtails (for the last time), yet in previous episode she had already let her hair down.

After a nervous non-start at her first driver's examination, Marcia gets her license on her second try, and is soon engaged in a debate with Greg over which gender has the better driving abilities. To put their argument to rest, Mike creates a driving course for them both to run. Greg gets over-anxious and loses to Marcia. In the end, Bobby and Cindy attempt to make a similar contest in bike-riding, but after seeing Greg suffering, Bobby backs out of it. In the subplot, Jan is preparing for a crucial debate on her debate team. Nervous about presenting in front of people, Mike gives her the advice to picture them in their underwear.

After meeting astronaut Brigadier General James McDivitt, Bobby and Peter are convinced that they have seen a UFO hover above their backyard then disappear, but it is only Greg playing a practical joke on them. Bobby and Peter tell the family and everyone at school about the "UFO". No one at school believes them so they seek proof by camping in the yard with a camera. The "UFO" reappears as they both start taking photos. Bobby later dreams about a UFO landing in the backyard with space aliens Herlo (Frank Delfino) and Shim (Sadie Delfino) emerging and interacting with him. Mike shows the developed "UFO" photos to the Air Force who send Captain James McGregor (James Flavin) of the local police force to investigate. Greg is forced to admit to the truth and loses use of the car for the weekend as punishment.

Note: Frank Delfino had previously been Mike Lookinland's stunt double, Sadie Delfino had previously been Susan Olsen's stunt double, before the kids grew too big. The obvious cut on Greg's lip, explained as a shaving accident in this episode, was actually the result of a traffic accident Barry Williams was involved in.[1]

Carol's nephew, Oliver (Robbie Rist), comes to live with the Bradys while his parents are in South America. He nearly wears out his welcome when he is involved in a series of minor accidents in his eagerness to help out. Oliver is convinced he is a jinx until his presence wins the family an award during a visit to a movie studio. Their prize is appearing in a 1920s-style slapstick movie.

18

113

"Two Petes in a Pod"

Richard Michaels

Sam Locke & Milton Pascal

February 8, 1974

111

Peter meets Arthur Owens (Christopher Knight), an exact "double" of his with glasses, at school after making a date with a girl named Michelle (Kathy O'Dare). When Arthur makes a date with Pamela (Denise Nickerson) (a niece of Mike's boss Ed Phillips) while masquerading as Peter as a gag, Peter must enlist Arthur's help to avoid breaking either date. Carol and Mike catch on, but Pamela is actually attracted to Arthur, and Michelle is finally attracted to Peter.

19

114

"Top Secret"

Bernard Wiesen

Howard Ostroff

February 15, 1974

115

Bobby and Oliver (Robbie Rist) jump to all sorts of conclusions when Mike is visited by Fred Sanders (Don Fenwick) an FBI agent (to get security clearances for a government project), and subsequently is asked to help Sam with a "top secret" project to expand his store. The boys believe Sam is passing information to the Russians when they see him conferring with his landlord, Mr. Gronsky (Lew Palter), about the project, and lock Sam and Gronsky in the meat locker. Mike is able to free the two and everything is cleared up. Meanwhile Sam's request of Mike to draw plans for a "top secret" project lead Alice, Carol, Marcia, Jan and Cindy to assume that he is about to ask Alice to marry him, and that Mike is designing a home for them.

To teach Cindy a lesson in reading her diary without permission, Marcia teases her by creating fake entries, with some help from Jan, about a Hollywood agent planning to discover Cindy and make her into the next Shirley Temple. Cindy becomes convinced that Mike's fussy client Penelope Fletcher (Natalie Schafer) is the talent scout, and Marcia can't talk Cindy out of this notion. Cindy shocks Mike with her impromptu Shirley Temple performance for Penelope, but Penelope is charmed by the act, ensuring that he will get the contract.

Note: This is the second of two episodes Susan Olsen disliked. This episode was planned to be made for first season, but wasn't picked up before 5th season and she didn't like playing a five-year old Shirley Temple at the age of 12.

21

116

"The Hustler"

Michael Kane

Bill Freedman & Ben Gershman

March 1, 1974

114

The Bradys receive a pool table as a thank you gift from Mike's boss, and Bobby quickly becomes a billiards expert. Bobby shows off his skills during Mike and Carol's cocktail party, soundly beating Mike's boss. The Bradys decide that, as nice as the gift is, they have no room for the pool table and give it to charity.

In the final episode of the series, Bobby is convinced he can get rich by selling Neat & Natural Hair Tonic. Bobby sells Greg a container which turns Greg's hair bright orange on the eve of his high school commencement. Greg is forced to go to the beauty parlor and dye his hair back before going to graduation.

Note: Robert Reed does not appear in this episode, due to dispute over the story involving the non-FDA approved bottle of hair tonic, which he thought was inane slapstick. After Reed wrote a large memo to the staff and Paramount, Sherwood Schwartz wrote him out of the episode.[1][10]

Trivia

The Brady Bunch, overall, lasted for 5 seasons and 116 episodes. The show was was originally intended to last for 6 seasons, but it was cancelled, due to an extreme drop in ratings, halfway through season 5. The series went through what's known as "seasonal rot". The show, while extremely popular and amazing when it began, lost it's beauty in it's quality and took a turn for the worst and just forgot what it was all about in the beginning.

The series tried making up for this by replacing Bobby with a new main cast member named Oliver Tyler. The much younger cousin of the Brady family, who came to live with them in the episode Welcome Aboard. This was simply them, pulling off a stunt to try and keep the show fresh and new by bringing in a character who was as young as the Brady kids in the first season, to try and bring the cuteness factor and nostalgia back to the show again. However, this stunt failed because the show was cancelled 5 episodes later. Not even enough for Oliver to fulfill his time of being a character.